Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Ken was nearly 4 when his mother died so he and his brother went to live with his older married sister Molly Tunny in Theodore, Qld. He attended school there and worked for Molly's husband who had a garage, taxi service and was also the local undertaker. When he enlisted he named Molly as his next of kin. Molly's daughter Val said he was always a very quiet person and a loner. His father was an itinerant worker so wasn't able to raise the 2 youngest children.

Ken married Edith Ella Russell (from Iona, Victoria) in April 1944 at Gardenvale, Melbourne. they lived in Oakleigh and had 2 children, Beverly and Kenneth John. they also lived in Childers (Victoria) before buying 20 acres at Iona in 1954. there they milked cows and also worked on the railways. Jennifer, Bryan and David were born at Iona. In 1961 they bought 60 acres at Bayles and ran a dairy farm there until 1973.

In 1954 Ella's mother bought a beach house at Carrum and gave it to Ella and her sister Emily. When Emily died in 1965 Ken bought out Emily's share and so for the next 8 yrs the family had holidays there. It was close to the beach and the Patterson river. In 1972 The old holiday house was pulled down and Ken and Ella had a new house built there for a cost of $23000.

They moved in in Sept 1973 and enjoyed retirement there. A few trips to WA to visit Beverly and some to Lakes Entrance to see Jennifer and John (Kenneth Jnr)

When we were children he was often a very angry man, he never spoke about the war even when asked by the grandchildren. Although a generous man he had trouble showing love and affection. Peraps this was due to the absence of mothering as a child.

He continued to live at Carrum after Ella died in 1991 for another 4 years. But his health was failing (diabetes) and after a minor stroke and removal of a toe  he sold up in Carrum for $110,000 and bought a house close to Jenny in Lakes Entrance in July 1995. He thoroughly enjoyed his time in  Lakes Entrance and loved visits from his great grand daughter Lucinda who was born in 1993. He had a good 3.5 yrs there before having a major stroke and dying 2 weeks later in Bairnsdale hospltal on 17th Dec 1998- just sort of his 81st birthday. He was buried beside Ella in the Bunyip Cemetry

Interestingly the house they built in Carrum sold on 2015 for $850,000 with an application by the new buyers to build 3 units.